Sanding device for cars



{No Model.)

J. R. DOUGHERTY.

SANDING DEVICE FOR CARS.

No. 511,199. Patented Dec. 19, 1893.

WlTN ESSES ml NATIONAL LwNoGnAs-mnra GOMPANY.

WASHINGTON a. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT SANDING DEVICE FOR CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 511,199,

dated December 19, 1893.

Application filed May 4, 1891, Serial No. 391,492. (lie model-l T 0 all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES R.DOUGHERTY, a citizen of the U nit-ed States, residing at St. Joseph,in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sanding Devices for Street-Oars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to that class of devices used to sand the rails in front of the wheels of a vehicle, and is more particularly intended for street cars.

It consists in providing revolving sandboxes or cylinders under the seats of the car in proper relation to the wheels thereof; said sand-boxes to be automaticall y rotated by the car axles through intermediate mechanism under control of the driver, and means by which to regulate or cut elf the discharge of the sand as desired.

The object of my invention is to provide a sanding device, which will insure the proper discharge of sand upon the rails, and in whicheither dry or wet sand may be successfully used; also to enable the driver to regulate the quantity of the sand discharged according to the requirements.

In the accompanying drawings,Fignre 1 represents a vertical cross-section of the revolving sand-boxes, and a portion of the car, parts of theoperating mechanism being shown in elevation. Fig. 2 represents a vertical longitudinal section of. aportion of the car and sanding device. Fig. 3 represents a top plan view of the device with the car floor partly broken away. Fig. 4 represents a top plan view of the bottom plate of a sand box on enlarged scale, showing the adjustable knife and throat piece. Fig. 5 represents avertical section of the same.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have represented the sand-boxes, A, A, as revolving cylinders formed with hollow central cores, a, a, and joined thereto by the radial partitions, on, a. The sand-boxes A, A, are preferably located on each side of the ear, beneath the seats, a little forward of the wheels, B, B. The usual delivery tubes 0,6,

are employed to conduct sand to the rails.

The lower edges of the cylinders rest upon and move on the supporting plates D, D, set in the floor of the car, said plates having the annular flanges, d, CZ, adapted to receive the lower edges of the cylinders, A, A,an d forming therewith closely fitting joints in order to prevent the escape of sand around the lower edges of the cylinders. Each supporting plate D, is provided with an elongated slot or opening d, over the mouth of the delivery tube 0, for the passage of sand from the cylinders to the rails. Within the hollow cores a, a, and firmly fastened thereto are the vertical shafts aha, the upper ends of which are journaled in brace frames D, D, and the lower ends of which have bevel gears a a whereby connection is made with the automatically actuating mechanism as will now be more fully described.

The bevel gears a of, are engaged and actuated by the smaller bevel gears c, e, situated at the opposite ends of the horizontal shaft E, which is suspended in bearings e, e, on the under side of the car floor. About midway of the shaft E, the friction wheel 6 is rigidly secured thereto. Upon either side of the friction wheel e extend the arms f, of the bifurcated operating lever F, the ends of which are bent downwardly. The shaft E, passes through hearings in the arms f, at their bends f, and forms the fulcrum of the lever F. The friction wheel a is jonrnaled at f between the lower ends of the arms f, in such a manner as to be in continual contact with the friction wheel c so that by actuating the former, movement is imparted to the latter. At the opposite end of the lever F, which extends under the platform of the car, is the usual treadle When the lever F is depressed by the driver pressing his foot on the treadle f the friction wheel e is thrown rearwardly and comes into contact with another friction wheel I), rigidly secured upon the car-axle ata point opposite to said friction wheel e It will be seen that when the car is in motion, upon the depression of the lever F, and the resulting contact of the friction wheels I) and 6 motion will be communicated from the car-axle through said wheels to the friction wheel 3 and shaft E, which will, by means of the bevel gears e, e, at its extremities actuate the meshing bevel gears a and thus effect the automatic rotation of the vertical shafts a a and the cylinders A, A, attached thereto. I have shown a coil spring attached to the lever F, near its middle part, and fastened to the under side of the car-floor, to keep said lever normally in the position shown in Fig. 2, and keep the slides in the sand-boxes closed when it is not desired to use the sanding device; but a spring may be placed in any other position, suitable for accomplishing this purpose.

To enable the operator to open and close the discharge openings at, d, I provide the slides H, H, moving in suitable ways, it, h, on the under side of the plates, D,D, said slides to be operated by the horizontal levers I, I, with which they are conducted by the rods t, 'i. The levers, I, I, are pivoted to the car floor near their middle points, and have their inner ends, or those farthest from the rods, 2', t', pivoted, one above the other, to the upper 1 end of an upright rod, F,situated at the fork of the bifurcated lever F. When the lever F is depressed, the rod F, will have a movement forward suflicient to actuate the levers, I, I, and thus move the slides rearwardly from beneath the openings, d, d. Upon the le ver F resuming its normal position by action of spring G, the slides again close the openings. The levers I, I, are pivoted loosely enough to allow for the slightly downward movement of the rod F.

For the purpose of controlling the amount of sand shaved off by the revolving cylinder and radial partitions, I provide an inclined adjustable knife L, shown in Figs. 4 and 5, which by means of a set screw may be raised or lowered and set with its upper edge in any desired position above the bottom plate D of the cylinder. As the cylinder with its partitions revolves, it is evident that the sand will be shaved off by the knife L to any desired thickness according to the position of the knife. In order to regulate the width of the opening 61, I provide an adjustable throat piece or slide Ill, which may be set in or out by means of a set screw.

With this device either wet or dry sand can be successfully used, for, when the mechanism is operated to allow of the discharge of the sand, the cylinders or sand-boxes and their partitions will be rotated by the means hereinbefore described and it is apparent that the said partitions will force the sand to move around over the plates D, D,the discharge openings therein and against the knife L thus providing a positive feed and preventing all clogging or stoppage in the discharge of sand.

Fenders,K,K, of the usual form are placed between the wheels and the delivery tubes, to prevent mud and dirt from being thrown on said tubes.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. In a wheeled vehicle the combination with a sand box adapted to revolve independently of the bottom thereof, of mechanism for automatically operating the same, substantially as described.

2. In a wheeled vehicle the combination with a sand box adapted to revolve independently of the bottom thereof, and provided with means whereby a greater or less quantity of sand may be discharged, of mechanism for antomatically operating the box, substantially as described.

3. In a street car the combination of a sand box having fixed radial partitions and means for automatically imparting motion to the said box, to cause it to revolve, through the medium of the car axle, with means whereby a greater or less amount of sand maybe discharged from the said box, substantially as set forth.

4. In a street car the combination with a sand box having fixed radial partitions and adapted to revolve upon a flanged and fixed supporting plate as described, independently of said plate, of the bevel operating gears on suitable shafts, the actuating frictional gearing, and a bell crank lever for bringing the said frictional gearing into continuous contact with. the car axle, as and for the purpose described.

5. In a street car the combination of the sand box adapted to revolve independently of the bot-tom thereof, the bevel operating gears on suitable shafts, the frictional gearing connecting with the car axle and the automatically actuating mechanism, and an operating bell-crank lever whereby the said frictional gearing may receive continuous motion from the car axle, substantially as described.

6. In a street car the combination with a sand box adapted to revolve independently of its bottom, of the bevel gears and shafting.

thereof, the frictional gearing, the car axle,

the mechanism for regulating the flow of sand and the bell-crank operating lever whereby the said frictional gearing may be brought into continuous contact with the car axle, as set forth.

7. In a street car the combination of a sand box having a discharge opening in the bottom thereof, an adjustable knife arranged within the said opening, and actuating mechanism, substantially as described.

8. A sand box having an opening in the bottom thereof, an inclined shaving knife arranged in said opening and an adjustable gate for controlling the discharge of the sand, as

set forth.

9. A sand box having an opening in the bottom thereof, an inclined shearing knife arranged in said opening, an adjustable gate for controlling the discharge of sand, and means for operating the knife and gate, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES R. DOUGHERTY.

\Vitnesses:

B. F. JOHNSON, C. C. DARROVV. 

